Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Repertoire

There is many a day when I despair at the state of villainy in our world. Villains are all too often so caught up in glamor of what they do that they forget the things that are important. After all, how often do we any more receive witty repertoire?

I blame this downward trend on the introduction of that brute Doomsday. There was a villain distinctly lacking in panache. Wearing nothing but a ragged pair of shorts, he was incapable of the sort of dialogue necessary between a villain and a hero.

Things have only gotten worse since then. Writers are constantly introducing new villains whom they try to make "hip" and "edgy" by making them grim and taciturn. I have long worried for the state of villainy and all the villains who dwell therein.

This said, there may be hope! Perhaps -- perhaps -- the tide is turning. There are small signs, here and there. Take, for instance, this page from an upcoming issue of Batman:

Either my eyes deceive me... Or the Reaper just shouted "fools!"

When was the last time you actually heard a villain decry his heroic foes as "fools"? Yes, I routinely use the term on the very blog. But outside of my august presence use of the term is few and far between.

Perhaps this is a sign that appropriately villainous repertoire is coming back into vogue. I certainly hope so... Fools.